Date of Award

Fall 2025

Document Type

Thesis (Master's)

Department or Program

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

First Advisor

Regine Rosenthal

Second Advisor

Eric Boyer

Third Advisor

Donald Pease

Abstract

Social activism ebbs and flows throughout American history. In the contemporary period, high visual coverage of activism has contributed to frustrations over the apparent decrease in change despite perceptions of increased participation. Young activists in the classroom ask questions to learn from their predecessors. This paper focuses on answering, “How can students create sustained change through social activism?” The present work recenters activism in the role of students and higher education institutions, noting their potential for creating change through a formula for future activists to engage with. The proposed formula targets methods and theories to bolster success towards the cause or organization. The research goes further to analyze how students can move support from the streets or online platforms into a solidified and protected change. Chapter one introduces theoretical frameworks to ground the proposed theory of the formula for effective student activism. Theorists used to inform the formula include work from Alexis de Tocqueville, Albert Camus, Political Processing Theory and Resource Mobilization Theory with supplementary support from Charles Tilly’s WUNC, Herbert Marcuse’s dialectic thinking and Paulo Freire’s conscientização. Chapter two examines historical events of student activism from the 1950s into 2025. Chapter three analyzes contemporary student activism in a deeper lens. Case studies are done on three higher education institutions: University California–Berkeley, Dartmouth College, and Columbia University. They are studied within the framework of the student activism formula. Chapter four employs a pragmatic approach to engaging with the formula within the scope of institutional and student responsibilities. Through a historical, theoretical, and pragmatic lens, this paper provides research tangible outcomes for audience utilization and engagement.

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